Contact center recording service

ABSTRACT

A system and method for producing audio messages for use in a contact center. A customer may specify message content, and provide a voice specification, which may identify a preferred voice artist and other aspects of the audio message including the language, accent and tone of the message. The service may produce the recording and provide it to the customer.

FIELD

The following description relates to contact center support services andmore particularly to a service and method for producing audio messagesfor use in a contact center.

BACKGROUND

Contact centers may be used by an organization to communicate in anefficient and systematic manner with outside parties. Such centers mayfor example have large numbers of agents staffing telephones, andinteracting with outside parties and with each other. Calls may beplaced on hold or into an interactive voice response (IVR) system whenfirst connected to the contact center; subsequently an agent may take acall, place it back on hold, transfer the call, conference in anotheragent, or take other such actions related to the call.

An IVR may include a series of pre-recorded greetings, questions, andprompts, which may collectively be referred to as audio messages. Suchaudio messages may also be used in other automated phone answeringsystems, such as a system which merely plays an audio message forcallers, asking them to call back. It may be desirable to use audiomessages that are customized to the organization operating the IVR orother automated phone answering system, including, for example the nameof the organization, or, in the case of an IVR, customized optionstailored to the organization's operations.

It may be difficult, inconvenient, or inefficient for some organizationsto create audio messages of acceptable quality. An organization may lacka suitable audio studio and recording equipment of acceptable quality,and it may lack access to suitable voice talent, e.g., voice artistscapable of speaking with the necessary voice attributes, such as, forexample, a professional tone, a friendly tone, or a suitable accent in aforeign language. Arranging for access to a recording studio and voicetalent may be expensive and inefficient for an organization lackingexperience in work of this type.

In another case, if an organization has the capability to produce audiomessages of acceptable quality, there may be a further difficulty in theuse of these messages. If, for example, they are to be employed in acontact center operated by another entity, there may be a risk that adigital audio file used to transmit the audio messages may havemalicious content. Thus, there is a need for a service for creating safeaudio messages for automated phone answering systems.

SUMMARY

An aspect of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention isdirected toward a service for producing and providing audio messages tocustomers for whom creating such messages may be difficult orinconvenient.

According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided asystem, including: a remote message specification receiver, configuredto receive a message specification including: message content; and avoice specification; and a remote recording apparatus.

In one embodiment, the system includes a remote audio message sender forsending an audio message to a customer.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes a voice artistidentifier.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes a characteridentifier.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes a languageidentifier.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes an accentidentifier.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes a contextspecification.

In one embodiment, the message specification receiver is configured toreceive a message specification further including a supplementalcomponent specification.

In one embodiment, the supplemental component specification includes avideo specification.

In one embodiment, the supplemental component specification includes amusic specification.

In one embodiment, the message content is in a digital audio file.

In one embodiment, the message specification receiver includes a filterwith a demilitarized zone.

The demilitarized zone may include: an audio player; an audio channel;and an audio recorder.

The audio channel may include a loudspeaker and a microphone.

In one embodiment, the system further includes: a remote operationaldatabase; a remote invoice generator; and a remote paymentreconciliation and reporting system.

According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided amethod, including: receiving, by a remote message specificationreceiver, a message specification; identifying, based on the messagespecification, a suitable voice artist; recording an audio message; andsending the audio message.

In one embodiment, the message specification includes message contentand a voice specification.

In one embodiment, the receiving, by the message specification receiver,of the message specification, includes filtering, by a demilitarizedzone, of the message content.

In one embodiment, the filtering, by the demilitarized zone, of themessage content, includes: playing, by an audio player having an output,of the message content; transmitting, by an audio channel, of the outputof the audio player to an audio recorder; and recording, by the audiorecorder, of the message content.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes a languageidentifier.

In one embodiment, the voice specification includes an accentidentifier.

In one embodiment, the receiving, by the message specification receiver,of the message specification, includes recommending, by an expertsystem, of an aspect of the voice specification.

In one embodiment, the recommending, by an expert system, of an aspectof the voice specification, includes recommending a tone for the audiomessage.

In one embodiment, the message specification includes a supplementalcomponent specification.

In one embodiment, the method includes obtaining, for a customer, rightsto intellectual property included in the audio message.

In one embodiment, the method includes invoicing a customer.

In one embodiment, the method includes reconciling a payment receivedwith an amount owed by a customer.

In one embodiment, the method includes generating a financial report.

According to an embodiment of the present invention there is provided amethod, including: receiving, by a remote message specificationreceiver, a plurality of message specifications; identifying, based onthe plurality of message specifications, a plurality of suitable voiceartists; recording a plurality of audio messages; and sending the audiomessages, wherein the receiving, by the remote message specificationreceiver, of a plurality of message specifications includesrecommending, by an expert system, of a voice artist identifier and acharacter identifier, for each of the plurality of messagespecifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome appreciated as the same become better understood with referenceto the specification, claims and appended drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of elements in an exemplary contact centeraccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing acts related to the creation of an audiomessage according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram including elements of a contact centerrecording service according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a demilitarized zone according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of acontact center recording service provided in accordance with the presentinvention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which thepresent invention may be constructed or utilized. The description setsforth the features of the present invention in connection with theillustrated exemplary embodiments. It is to be understood, however, thatthe same or equivalent functions and structures may be accomplished bydifferent exemplary embodiments that are also intended to be encompassedwithin the spirit and scope of the invention. As denoted elsewhereherein, like element numbers are intended to indicate like elements orfeatures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system supporting a contactcenter according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention. Thecontact center may be an in-house facility to a business or corporationfor serving the enterprise in performing the functions of sales andservice relative to the products and services available through theenterprise. In another exemplary embodiment, the contact center may be athird-party service provider. The contact center may be hosted inequipment dedicated to the enterprise or third-party service provider,and/or hosted in a remote computing environment such as, for example, aprivate or public cloud environment with infrastructure for supportingmultiple contact centers for multiple enterprises.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the contact center includesresources (e.g. personnel, computers, and telecommunication equipment)to enable delivery of services via telephone or other communicationmechanisms. Such services may vary depending on the type of contactcenter, and may range from customer service to help desk, emergencyresponse, telemarketing, order taking, and the like.

Customers, potential customers, or other end users (collectivelyreferred to as end users) desiring to receive services from the contactcenter may initiate inbound calls to the contact center via their enduser devices 10 a-10 c (collectively referenced as 10). Each of the enduser devices 10 may be a communication device conventional in the art,such as, for example, a telephone, wireless phone, smart phone, personalcomputer, electronic tablet, and/or the like. The mechanisms of contactin a call, and the corresponding user devices 10, need not be limited toreal-time voice communications as in a traditional telephone call, butmay be non-voice communications including text, video, and the like, andmay include email or other non-real-time means of communication. Thusthe term “call” as used herein is not limited to a traditional telephonecall but is a generalized term including any form of communication inwhich a contact center may participate.

Inbound and outbound calls from and to the end user devices 10 maytraverse a telephone, cellular, and/or data communication network 14depending on the type of device that is being used. For example, thecommunications network 14 may include a private or public switchedtelephone network (PSTN), local area network (LAN), private wide areanetwork (WAN), and/or public wide area network such as, for example, theInternet. The communications network 14 may also include a wirelesscarrier network including a code division multiple access (CDMA)network, global system for mobile communications (GSM) network, and/orany 3G or 4G network conventional in the art.

According to one exemplary embodiment, the contact center includes aswitch/media gateway 12 coupled to the communications network 14 forreceiving and transmitting calls and/or data between end users and thecontact center. The switch/media gateway 12 may include a telephonyswitch configured to function as a central switch for agent levelrouting within the center. In this regard, the switch 12 may include anautomatic call distributor, a private branch exchange (PBX), an IP-basedsoftware switch, and/or any other switch configured to receiveInternet-sourced calls and/or telephone network-sourced calls. Accordingto one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the switch is coupled to acall server 18 which may, for example, serve as an adapter or interfacebetween the switch/media gateway 12 and the remainder of the routing,monitoring, and other call-handling systems of the contact center.

The contact center may also include a multimedia/social media server 24,which may also be referred to as an interaction server, for engaging inmedia interactions other than voice interactions with the end userdevices 10 and/or web servers 32. The media interactions may be related,for example, to email, chat, text-messaging, web, social media, and thelike. The web servers 32 may include, for example, social interactionsite hosts for a variety of known social interaction sites to which anend user may subscribe, such as, for example, Facebook, Twitter, and thelike. The web servers may also provide web pages for the enterprise thatis being supported by the contact center. End users may browse the webpages and get information about the enterprise's products and services.The web pages may also provide a mechanism for contacting the contactcenter, via, for example, web chat, voice call, email, web real timecommunication (WebRTC), or the like.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the switch iscoupled to an interactive voice response system (IVR) 34. IVR is atechnology that allows a computer to interact with humans through theuse of voice and dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones input viakeypad. In telecommunications, IVR allows customers to interact with acompany's host system via a telephone keypad or by speech recognition,after which they can service their own inquiries by following the IVRdialogue. IVR systems can respond with prerecorded or dynamicallygenerated audio to further direct users on how to proceed. IVRapplications can be used to control almost any function where theinterface can be broken down into a series of simple interactions. TheIVR 34 may be configured, for example, with an IVR script for queryingcustomers on their needs. For example, a contact center for a bank maytell callers, via the IVR script, to “press 1” if they wish to get anaccount balance. If this is the case, through continued interaction withthe IVR, customers may complete service without needing to speak with anagent.

In one exemplary embodiment, an IVR may include: an IVR server withcontrol logic for selecting prompts or information to provide to acaller, based in some cases on responses received from the caller; and amedia server which may store audio messages. Such a media server mayalso store other media, such as video, music, still images, or text. Inone exemplary embodiment the media server may be a separate entity inthe contact center and shared by the IVR and other servers, or thecontact center may include one or more further media servers, inaddition to one shared or owned by the IVR.

If the call is to be routed to an agent, the call is forwarded to thecall server 18 which interacts with a routing server 20 for finding themost appropriate agent for processing the call. The call server 18 maybe configured to process PSTN calls, VoIP calls, and the like. Forexample, the call server 18 may include a session initiation protocol(SIP) server for processing SIP calls. In another exemplary embodiment,the call server may include a telephony server (T-server).

In one example, while an agent is being located and until such agentbecomes available, the call server may place the call in a call queue.The call queue may be implemented via any data structure conventional inthe art, such as, for example, a linked list, array, and/or the like.The data structure may be maintained, for example, in buffer memoryprovided by the call server 18. While a call is in a queue, one or moreaudio messages may be played for the caller, including for exampleadvertising, an apology that the caller is being asked to wait, orinformation such as the expected remaining wait time. Music, or, if thecall includes more than voice interactions, other media such as video,text, or still images, may also be provided to the caller while the callis in the queue, when the caller receives an initial welcome messageupon first calling in, or while the caller is interacting with the IVR.Such other media may also be a part of the audio messages. Thus, as usedherein, the term audio message is not limited to a message includingonly spoken voice, but it may include other audio elements such asmusic, and non-audio elements such as text, images, or video.

Once an appropriate agent is available to handle a call, the call isremoved from the call queue and transferred to the corresponding agentdevice 38 a-38 c (collectively referenced as 38). Collected informationabout the caller and/or the caller's historical information may also beprovided to the agent device for aiding the agent in better servicingthe call. In this regard, each agent device 38 may include a telephoneadapted for regular telephone calls, VoIP calls, and the like. The agentdevice 38 may also include a computer for communicating with one or moreservers of the contact center and performing data processing associatedwith contact center operations. The selection of an appropriate agentfor routing an inbound call may be based, for example, on a routingstrategy employed by the routing server 20, and further based oninformation about agent availability, skills, and other routingparameters provided, for example, by a statistics server 22, which mayalso be referred to as a stat server 22. A person of skill in the artshould recognize that the stat server 22 may also be implemented viafirmware (e.g. an application-specific integrated circuit), hardware, ora combination of software, firmware, and hardware.

The multimedia/social media server 24 may also be configured to provide,to an end user, a mobile application 40 for downloading onto the enduser device 10. The mobile application 40 may provide user configurablesettings that indicate, for example, whether the user is available, notavailable, or availability is unknown, for purposes of being contactedby a contact center agent. The multimedia/social media server 24 maymonitor the status settings and send updates to the aggregation moduleeach time the status information changes.

The contact center may also include a reporting server 28 configured togenerate reports from data aggregated by the stat server 22. Suchreports may include near real-time reports or historical reportsconcerning the state of resources, such as, for example, average waitingtime, abandonment rate, agent occupancy, and the like. The reports maybe generated automatically or in response to specific requests from arequestor (e.g. agent/administrator, contact center application, and/orthe like).

To store configuration information such as device characteristics andagent attributes, such as agent skill levels, a configuration server 42may be included in the system. The configuration server 42 may, forexample, provide attribute values for objects or processes when theseare created, at system startup, or subsequently.

According to one exemplary embodiment of the invention, the contactcenter also includes a mass storage device 30 for storing data relatedto contact center operations such as, for example, information relatedto agents, customers, customer interactions, and the like. The massstorage device may take the form of a hard disk or disk array as isconventional in the art.

Each of the various servers of FIG. 1 may include one or more processorsexecuting computer program instructions and interacting with othersystem components for performing the various functionalities describedherein. The computer program instructions are stored in a memory whichmay be implemented in the server using a standard memory device, suchas, for example, a random access memory (RAM). The computer programinstructions may also be stored in other non-transitory computerreadable media such as, for example, a CD-ROM, flash drive, or the like.Also, although the functionality of each of the servers is described asbeing provided by the particular server, a person of skill in the artshould recognize that the functionality of various servers may becombined or integrated into a single server, or the functionality of aparticular server may be distributed across one or more other serverswithout departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, a customer of a contact center recording service may beginthe process of purchasing an audio message by, in a first act 110,creating content for the message. Such message content may be composed,for example, of the words “Thank you for calling ABC Corporation. Forsales, press 1, for customer service press 2, or remain on the line foran operator.” The customer may document the message content by typing itinto a file or email or short message service (SMS) text message, or byspeaking the words and recording them in a digital audio file. Thecustomer may then send the message content to the contact centerrecording service, for example via the internet 210 (FIG. 3).

Accompanying the message content may be other information, generated inan act 120, which may be referred to as a voice specification, and whichspecifies other voice attributes of the audio message, and indicates howthe audio message is to be generated from the message content. The voicespecification may include a voice artist identifier to identify aparticular voice artist. A voice artist may have a repertoire ofcharacters that she or he is able to represent, which may be identifiedby a character identifier, such as Banker, Salesperson, Receptionist,Diplomat, or the like, and in such an exemplary embodiment, the voicespecification may also include a character identifier. In one exemplaryembodiment, the contact center recording service may offer to customersa list of characters and voice artists employed by the service may beasked to become proficient in speaking as one or more of thesecharacters. The voice specification may also contain an accentidentifier and a language identifier specifying the accent and thelanguage respectively, e.g., British English, or American English, orthe like. The voice specification may also contain specifications forthe speed and pitch of the speech, and a tone identifier specifying thetone of the voice, e.g., professional, deferential, enthusiastic, orreassuring.

The voice specification may also include a context specificationindicating, for example, whether a message is a statement, or aquestion, or a fragment of a question. If the audio message is a singleword or a phrase intended to be combined with other words when played tothe caller, then having the message spoken with the correct intonationmay be important. For example, the word “hold” may be spoken with arising intonation if it is to be made part of a question, e.g., “Wouldyou like to hold?” and with a flat, or constant, intonation if is to bemade part of a statement, such as “Your estimated hold time is threeminutes.” The context specification may thus provide pronunciationguidance to the voice artist.

In one exemplary embodiment, samples of audio recordings may be madeavailable to customers, who may request an audio message resembling oneof the samples. In another exemplary embodiment, it may be possible fora customer to specify combinations of attributes from several samples,by, for example requesting the voice artist, accent, and language ofsample A, and the tone of sample B. The contact center recording servicemay also make it possible for customers to request a voice resembling awell-known voice, such as that of a well-known politician or movieactor.

In one exemplary embodiment, the contact center recording service hasagreements with people with well-known voices and provides audiomessages using such voices, or imitations of them by voice actors, orsynthesized imitations or reproductions. In another exemplaryembodiment, the contact center recording service coordinates, between acustomer and a person with a well-known voice, the process of obtainingthe right to use the voice. The use of a well-known voice in an audiomessage, or in a series of audio messages changed occasionally, mayprovide entertainment to fans who enjoy hearing the message, or motivatethem to call periodically to listen to the most recent message.Similarly, the contact center recording service may provide the serviceof obtaining, for a customer, rights to intellectual property, such asmusic, graphics, or video, included in an audio message.

In one exemplary embodiment, the contact center recording service mayinclude an expert system to help a customer generate a voicespecification. This system may, for example, take into account thecustomer's location, the customer's business, and attributes, such astypical educational level, or median income, of the customer's callers,and make recommendation about certain aspects of the voicespecification. The expert system may recommend, for example, for acustomer operating a bank, with callers with moderate incomes, a voicespecification that specifies a professional tone.

The expert system may also recommend combinations of voices, so that acaller may, for example, be welcomed by one voice, and be presented witha set of menu options by a second voice. This may, according to atechnique known in the art as gamification, provide a more pleasant orentertaining experience for the caller. The expert system may also makeconditional recommendations, recommending for example a friendly,cheerful voice for use in a welcome message, and a more professional,deferential voice for use in a message to be played for customerscalling with complaints.

In an act 125, the customer may generate a specification for othercomponents of the audio message, referred to herein as supplementalcomponents of the audio message. These may include music, graphics, orvideo to be included in the audio message. The specification for thesupplemental components of the audio message may be referred to as asupplemental component specification, and its parts may, for example,include a video specification, a music specification, or an imagespecification, specifying, respectively, video, music, and one or moreimages to be included in the audio message.

In an act 130, the customer may place an order for an audio message, bysubmitting to the contact center recording service the message content,the voice specification, and, optionally, a supplemental componentspecification, a combination which may be referred to as a messagespecification. The message content may be submitted to the contactcenter recording service by a number of methods, including papercorrespondence, or electronic ways including email or upload to aserver. The contact center recording service may include a remotemessage specification receiver 215 for receiving the messagespecification and for performing initial routing of the message contentand the voice specification. In the case of electronic submission of themessage content in the form of a digital audio file, the possibilitythat such an electronic submission may have malicious content may be aconcern. In this case the remote message specification receiver 215 mayroute the message specification, or portions of it, such as the messagecontent, through a filter or firewall referred to as a sandbox orincluding a demilitarized zone (DMZ) 220 (FIG. 3) to filter the messagecontent so as to reduce the security risk inherent in direct electronicsubmissions.

In one exemplary embodiment, the contact center recording service mayinclude a remote recording studio 240 (FIG. 3) that is remote from thecustomer (the customer system). Such a recording studio 240 may includeone or more rooms with favorable acoustic qualities, and it may includea recording apparatus for capturing words spoken by a voice artist, andpreserving the resulting sound, for example in a digital audio file. Thevoice message in this digital audio file may be the final voice message,or further production acts, such as changing the speed or the pitch ofthe speech, or applying a filter to remove noise, may be applied, togenerate the final audio message.

Once an order has been received, the contact center recording servicemay, in an act 140, schedule a voice artist for a studio session torecord the one or more audio messages ordered by the customer. Inanother exemplary embodiment, the contact center recording service maynot include a recording studio 240 and it may instead make arrangementswith other parties which operate recording studios. In an alternateembodiment, the contact center recording service may usemachine-synthesized voice, making the act 140 unnecessary.

Once the audio message or audio messages ordered by a customer have beenproduced, in an act 150 which may include recording and other productionsteps, they may be delivered, in an act 160, to the customer, via emailor as an attachment to an SMS message or by some other ways, such asmaking the digital audio files containing the audio messages availablefor download. Payment from the customer may be processed before or afterthe audio messages have been recorded or delivered, and in one exemplaryembodiment receipt of payment may be a precondition to scheduling arecording session with a voice artist or to delivering the audiomessages to the customer. In one exemplary embodiment the customer maybe invoiced, in an act 170, and after payment is received, the contactcenter recording service may, in an act 180, reconcile the payment withamounts owed.

Referring to FIG. 3, the operations of the contact center recordingservice may be managed by a remote control center 230 that is remotefrom a customer system 205 (or a customer's facility). In one exemplaryembodiment, the contact center of FIG. 1 may be part of the customersystem 205, or the contact center may also be remote from the customersystem 205, which may for example include corporate headquarters; inthis case the contact center and contact center recording service may beco-located. According to an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention, certain of the functions of the control center 230, such asthose of requesting, receiving, and paying for an audio message may beautomated to reduce cost and improve reliability. For example thecontact center recording service may be operated as a cloud offering, inwhich a web page may be used by a customer to enter aspects of the voicespecification, and to upload message content. The customer may alsoprovide, using the same interface, payment information such as creditcard information, or billing information such as a physical address oremail address to which an invoice may later be sent.

Sending of invoices may be automated using an invoice generatorconnected to email or to a suitable facility for printing and mailingpaper invoices. Reconciliation of payments received may similarly beautomated by a payment reconciliation system with access to informationon payments owed and on payments received. Such a system may alsoinclude a reporting system which may automatically generate periodicfinancial reports summarizing the products delivered, charges invoiced,and payments received. In one exemplary embodiment, the data used in theoperations of the contact center recording service, including forexample customer names, audio message delivery information, paymentinformation, voice artist names and contact information, schedulinginformation, order queues, and accounting information, may be stored inan operational database 250.

Referring to FIG. 4, a DMZ 220 (FIG. 3) may include, for example, anaudio player 310, an audio channel 320, and an audio recorder 330. Theoperator may configure the audio player 310 to receive and play anelectronically submitted audio file, and the audio recorder 330 in theDMZ 220 may capture the audio and encode it into a new digital audiofile. The transmission of the audio signal from the audio player 310 tothe audio recorder 330 may occur over an analog signal channel such aspair of wires carrying a voltage representing the analog signal, or anair gap across which the signal is transmitted as an acoustic signalbetween a loudspeaker and a microphone. In the event that the submitteddigital audio file has malicious content, the audio player 310 may becompromised, possibly causing it to generate incorrect audio output, butother elements of the contact center recording service may remain safe.In one exemplary embodiment the audio player 310 may be a low-costsystem in the sense that restoring it to full functionality after beingcompromised may not result in significant cost. In another exemplaryembodiment the audio player 310 in the DMZ 220 may be a processconfigured by the operating system to have closely circumscribedprivileges, and prevented, for example, from accessing input or output(I/O) channels other than the audio output channel allocated to it, andfrom requesting or receiving additional allocations of system memory. Inparticular, the DMZ 220 may make it less likely that criticallysensitive information in the contact center recording service, includinginformation identifying customers, or customer payment information, maybe compromised.

Although exemplary embodiments of a contact center recording servicehave been specifically described and illustrated herein, manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in theart. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the contact centerrecording service constructed according to principles of this inventionmay be embodied other than as specifically described herein. Theinvention is also defined in the following claims, and equivalentsthereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memory,wherein the memory includes instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, cause the processor to: receive, over a wide area network, afile containing message content, and a voice specification indicative ofhow the message content is to be recorded into an audio file; check themessage content for malicious data; in response to determining that themessage content does not contain malicious data, transmit a command forgenerating an audio recording of the message content based on thereceived voice specification; and deliver the audio recording over thewide area network, wherein the audio recording is accessible to aninteractive voice response system for interacting with customerscontacting a customer contact center.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe voice specification comprises a voice artist identifier.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the voice specification comprises a characteridentifier.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the voice specificationcomprises a language identifier.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein thevoice specification comprises an accent identifier.
 6. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the voice specification comprises a contextspecification.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions furthercause the processor to: receive over the wide area network, asupplemental component specification.
 8. The system of claim 7, whereinthe supplemental component specification comprises a videospecification.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein the supplementalcomponent specification comprises a music specification.
 10. The systemof claim 1, wherein the message content is in a digital audio file. 11.The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions that cause theprocessor to check the message content for malicious data includesinstructions that invoke a filter for performing the check.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the file containing the message content isan audio file, wherein the filter includes: an audio player configuredto play the message content; an audio channel configured to receive theplayed message content and generate an output in response; and an audiorecorder configured to generate a new recording from the output of theaudio channel.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the audio channelcomprises a loudspeaker and a microphone.
 14. The system of claim 1,further comprising: a remote operational database; a remote invoicegenerator; and a remote payment reconciliation and reporting system. 15.A method, comprising: receiving, by a processor, a file containingmessage content, and a voice specification indicative of how the messagecontent is to be recorded into an audio file; checking, by theprocessor, the message content for malicious data; in response todetermining that the message content does not contain malicious data,transmitting, by the processor, a command for generating an audiorecording of the message content based on the received voicespecification; and delivering, by the processor, the audio recordingover the wide area network, wherein the audio recording is accessible toan interactive voice response system for interacting with customerscontacting a customer contact center.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein the checking the message for malicious data includes invoking afilter for performing the check.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein thefile containing the message content is an audio file, wherein the filteris further configured to: play the message content; generate an outputin response to playing the message content; and record the generatedoutput.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the voice specificationcomprises a language identifier.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein thevoice specification comprises an accent identifier.
 20. The method ofclaim 15, further comprises: recommending, by an expert system, anaspect of the voice specification.
 21. The method of claim 20, whereinthe recommending, by the expert system, the aspect of the voicespecification comprises recommending, by the expert system, a tone forthe audio message.
 22. The method of claim 15, comprising invoicing thecustomer contact center for the audio recording.
 23. The method of claim15, comprising reconciling a payment received with an amount owed by thecustomer contact center.
 24. The method of claim 23, comprisinggenerating a financial report.
 25. A method, comprising: receiving, by aprocessor, a file containing message content; invoking, by theprocessor, an expert system for recommending at least a portion of avoice specification indicative of how the message content is to berecorded into an audio file; transmitting, by the processor, a commandfor generating an audio recording of the message content based on atleast the recommended portion of the voice specification; anddelivering, by the processor, the audio recording over the wide areanetwork, wherein the audio recording is accessible to an interactivevoice response system for interacting with customers contacting acustomer contact center.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein therecommending includes recommending a tone for the audio recording. 27.The method of claim 26, wherein different tones are recommendeddepending on a type of customer interacting with the customer contactcenter.
 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the recommending includesrecommending a voice artist for the audio recording.